


Too Many Coincidences

by AZGirl



Series: Hart of the Matter [3]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Angst, Episode: s07e21 Obsession, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:20:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27748150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AZGirl/pseuds/AZGirl
Summary: Tony and Gibbs don’t believe in coincidences. An AU-ish tag to episode 7.21 Obsession.
Series: Hart of the Matter [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2013751
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Too Many Coincidences

**Author's Note:**

> This is the third of five episode tags from season 7 relating to M. Allison Hart episodes that I'm just now getting around to posting on this site. It's not necessary to read the others to understand this one, though knowledge about the season in general will be helpful.

**ooooooo**

**Chapter Three: Too Many Coincidences**

The sounds of Gibbs working on the wood washed over him as he downed the last of the bourbon in his glass. After Gibbs had admitted that Rule 10 had been the rule he’d always had the most trouble with, they’d both fallen silent. No words were needed. Each of them let the other’s presence provide steady support for the other.

Gibbs had gone back to working on his new project, while Tony just sat there watching and listening. But, after awhile, the sounds that normally were a balm to his battered psyche, that usually calmed him, eventually started to grate upon his nerves as the memories of the last few days threatened to overwhelm him.

He’d been so focused on finding Dana Hutton that he’d barely paid any attention to everything else that had been going on around him. Now, unbidden, that knowledge had decided to come to the forefront of his mind. It was demanding his attention – demanding he now focus on what he’d likely missed.

Facts came together. Connections were made. Ideas were considered and either accepted or rejected. His mind kept circling back to one thought: there were too many coincidences related to this case.

Even though it seemingly ended up being all about the money, about greed; too much in the last few days had some sort of connection to Bell and Mexico. It was too convenient…too coincidental.

_Too many coincidences_ , he thought to himself.

“What did you say?” a voice broke into his thoughts and startled him.

Tony hadn’t realized he’d spoken out loud. He tried to cover up his reaction by standing up and taking off his jacket, but he knew Gibbs likely saw through his actions.

Laying his jacket on the sawhorse, he said, “Too many coincidences, Boss.”

“I know.”

Tony’s head jerked upward at his Boss’ words. When Gibbs returned to the piece of wood he’d been working on, Tony decided that he was being encouraged to continue his train of thought.

“Rivera as our liaison with the task force in Mexico,” he began as he started pacing back and forth like a caged lion. “Hart being appointed legal counsel to the task force, and not only knowing Rivera, but having worked with him to get Bell out of jail. Dana _and_ her brother were both researching private military companies in a negative light…”

He flung his hands up in frustration as he paced, “Too many coincidences!”

“Well, yeah, DiNozzo. Thanks for the recap. You know I don’t—”

“Believe in coincidences,” Tony interrupted stopping in his tracks. “I got it, Boss.”

Gibbs’ glare at him for interrupting was enough to make him happy he’d stopped pacing out of reach of a headslap. The extra energy he’d gained from the pent up frustration left him as he sighed heavily. As he was never one to back down from Gibbs, he decided to tempt fate and go back within headslap range to the sawhorse he’d been sitting on.

Leaning against the sawhorse, he came to the realization his boss had commented the way he had to get him back on track. Though it had distracted him from the list of ‘coincidences,’ he still didn’t know what to think about them. His gaze focused on the shelving on the back wall as he tried to reconcile his now jumbled thoughts.

“I’m … missing… something,” he said transfixed by items that he’d seen too many times to count. “Some key piece of information, but I’ve absolutely no clue as to what it could be. I keep thinking it has to do with Mexico, but…”

Tony paused and looked up at Gibbs to gauge his boss’ opinion of what he’d just said, and he noticed Gibbs had this faraway look on his face. It was there one moment and gone in the next. Tony had no idea what to make of that look, and lately every time he even thought the word ‘Mexico’ his stomach churned.

_Speaking of_ , Tony thought to himself as he lifted his hand to rub his stomach a bit. _What had I been saying? Damn it! I got distracted…_ He bowed his head for a few seconds. _God, I’m tired_.

He looked up and was surprised to see that while he’d been distracted, Gibbs had removed the wood he’d been working on from the workbench’s clamp and set it aside. He watched as Gibbs poured himself a shot of bourbon into his coffee cup and another into Tony’s glass.

Tony decided to bring up the other issue that had been bothering him while trying to remember his previous train of thought.

“I’m sure you know by now that Abby’s going to speak at a symposium down in Mexico,” he stated as he mentally apologized to his gut for even bringing up the evil word again. “You’re not going to let her go alone are you?”

Gibbs pulled out another sawhorse and sat down across from him. “McGee’s going with her. Vance agreed.”

“Vance?! Really?”

_What’s the Toothpick up to now_ , he couldn’t help thinking as Gibbs nodded but didn’t elaborate.

Instead his boss said, “Hart knew Dana.”

“Great,” he groaned and brought a hand up to rub his tired eyes. “Another coincidence.”

“Yep.”

They sat there for a time, relishing in the silence and occasionally taking a sip of their drinks.

“I really wish I knew what Hart and Bell were up to,” Tony tiredly said. “It feels like they’re getting ready to make a move and we, or at least, _I_ have no idea what it could be.”

“Now that Hart is a temporary employee of NCIS, we should be able to track her movements more closely.”

“And she, ours,” Tony couldn’t help reminding him.

“I know,” he replied, acknowledging the obvious truth.

“So, that’s it. That’s all we can do? Watch and wait? This plan sucks!” he practically whined, then broke out into a jaw-splitting yawn.

“It’s the only one we got for now. We’ll just have to be ready for anything.”

“Right,” he yawned while rubbing his eyes again.

“Guest room. Now.” Gibbs gently ordered.

Nodding, Tony grabbed his jacket and headed towards the stairs. Half-way up, he mumbled a “Night, Boss” to Gibbs.

As he passed the threshold of the basement, Tony suddenly felt a loss that he couldn’t explain.

ooooooo

_The end_.

**ooooooo**

**Author's Note:**

> Rule 10: Net get involved personally on a case. 
> 
> Many thanks to Celticgal1041 for proofing. Any remaining mistakes are my fault. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> *Please do not repost or use this or any of my other works on another site or app without my knowledge or consent. FanFiction and Archive of Our Own are the only two sites (as AZGirl on both) where my fiction should be posted. Thank you!


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